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This thread is over 2.5 years old. Can anyone who has sailed Atlas recently tell us which wines 🍷🥂🍷🥂 are currently included? Does anyone have a copy of the wine list? Thanks 😊.

We are very excited about our upcoming circumnavigation of Svalbard cruise! It was quite surprising to learn the included internet is limited to 1GB 😳, especially after hearing AOV Voyager has Starlink. It is reported that all of Norway 🇳🇴, including Svalbard/Spitzbergen is a currently approved and activated Starlink area. It feels like a retro throwback to have to turn off/reset most apps and wifi on a device as @kd9 described, simply to read and reply to email and stretch rationed access. We haven’t metered wifi use on any cruise ship in a LONG time. We hope to upload and share pictures and video of beautiful scenery 🗻, amazing wildlife 🐋🐦🦭🐻‍❄️, and our AOV expedition and ship experiences. Sometimes you have to swap devices online to download/upload pics. Are you really limited to only one registered device versus one device at a time? I have read about how much time 1 GB provides, but have no idea how it will work in practice. It’s rare to have limits these days. And, minutes are certainly more easily understood than GBs. I’m not planning to live online (No Zoom, Teams, Webex, Netflix, etc.) while on vacation, but on downtime between zodiac or shore visits, I hope to stay connected to friends, family, and manage household logistics. After all, it’s not going to be pool weather around Svalbard 😎🌴❄️☃️🗻. I would normally try to do a full cruise “LIVE from…” post on Cruise Critic to showcase this unique itinerary, however, the 1GB allowance might limit my ability to do this. YMMV. IMHO, paying over and above for a reasonable quantity of included internet on what @AOV Communications describes as a “refined luxury” experience, on a brand new ship with Starlink, seems odd in 2024. Ponant began including unlimited wifi in 2018. We had very good speed and connectivity in Antartica with Ponant in Jan 2019, prior to Starlink. Seabourn, Silversea, and Linblad offer unlimited wifi as do most others. It would be great if AOV would consider updating their internet policies to meet or exceed the industry standard for luxury/expedition cruise lines.

Mother and daughter cruises are the best ❤️. Enjoy your time together 😎🥂😀.

We were lucky enough to see a handful of emperor penguins early one morning in the Waddell Sea (on Ponant).

Brings back memories! My daughter lived in HI and we did this exact drive starting in Kona! It was a day full of the southern most point, volcano winery, volcano natl park, and then the observatory for sunset! When in Kona…. coffee at Lava Java is a nice way to relax! Enjoy 😀

Thanks Jim!🍷🍷🍷! I know you and Lain normally don’t drink reds, but the Rioja may be the most interesting (other than the standard offerings) to try. It appears to have a following. As for the Bin 45, a picture is worth a 1000 words 🫣😂🫣!

We saw a quote at a winery in McLaren Vale, Australia last month that said, “…Never give bad wine a second sip….” We took it to heart and paid a little extra by the glass to drink Emmolo Merlot and Opulance Cab on many nights. When we were feeling like anything might do we paid a tiny bit extra for the Kendall Jackson Cab. If you just ask the wine steward for a cab in Laminae, he/she will most likely pour you a glass of Chateau Souverain 😝. Honestly, Celebrity should be embarrassed by the wines they are including in the Retreat and Luminae. YMMV.

Which company did you use and how did you get to the falls?

Thanks for the info on the falls and the excursion. We are considering a land/cruise option that includes a trip to the falls. This was very helpful. Thank you 😁.

If you have sensitive skin or allergies, I’d check the ingredients. There are some really long mystery ingredients in this stuff. At least one is known to cause skin irritation. Pic is from a plain verandah on the Summit.

I have pics from 2019 (just before the world shutdown) with our independent tour. The boat ladders are pictured, so you a judge if they will work. We really enjoyed the small group. This crew was great, respected the animals, and anchored away from the large grouping of bigger boats. We had a lot more rays than the big boats, and a calm and relaxed experience. Hope the pics help your planning. The hoards were all clustered together 😝. The rays tended to be less plentiful around the crowded boats.

We booked an independent excursion on a Catamaran to the stingray sandbar location. The price was much better than the ship’s excursions and it was a smaller boat with a small group. Very enjoyable experience without the crowd 😎🌴😎.

I’ve never experienced topside seating on a tender/lifeboat. Interesting 🧐

Lovely view at the Monkeypod for lunch in Waikiki 🌴🌞🌴

@Jim_Iain, we would love to hear about your Oceania experience as well. We are considering a couple of their cruises in cooler climates. 😀😎😀

Guten Morgan @Germancruiser! Ich denke… the first picture is from near the theater entrance. The picture of the 2 chairs is from the sitting area outside Cellar Masters. The furnishings and the color schemes combine to give the public spaces a very nice appearance.

Glacier Bay is awesome! Some of the best viewing if the weather and ice conditions cooperate. Mendenhall is a very nice walk and the waterfall is great too. I second the public bus recommendation. It’s very easy to locate when you get off the ship and is an inexpensive way to get to the park. Setting foot on a glacier is a great, yet pricey experience. If you are lucky enough to sail up Tracey’s Arm, the small boat excursion is wonderful for close up glacier and waterfall viewing. Hope you love AK as much as we did ❤️.

I have been reading with interest since we sailed Summit in late Dec 23. First off, the crew was great, and did their best with big smiles as always! The Captain was very visible, not just for photo sessions. We adored the forward looking Skyview lounge❤️. To us, it was a range of Summits, almost like sailing several different ships. The cosmetic interior appearance, the structure/bones, and the exterior. It’s all subjective, these are our thoughts. Ship #1 - The interior of the public spaces was lovely. It looked modern, sleek, and sophisticated. IMHO, the decor created a soothing atmosphere. Our updated verandah cabin had more storage than our sky suite on a recent Edge sailing! And, the new layout in the Oceanview Cafe is a huge improvement in space, improves traffic flow, and reduces congestion. Ship #2 - The bathroom looked nice and updated at a glance. It had very good storage for its size. However, the “bones” were tired. The toilet bowl had been painted at some point in its life and was peeling. The shower floor needed a good scrub with some bleach, and there was a persistent leak under the sink. The leak was gradual, but after three maintenance visits, the source was never found nor fixed. We had to leave a washcloth on the floor to keep the area around the toilet dry. I would call this an inconvenience. Note to self… sometimes it’s better not to wear your glasses in the bathroom 😂. Ship - 3. Then there was the exterior. I would call it tired. The steel panels making up the ceiling over our verandah were split apart. There was peeling paint and paint chips in many exterior locations. We had to wedge a towel in our sliding glass door to prevent it from whistling (in calm seas). The exterior decks, paint, etc. just left us feeling like Celebrity 🎶…lost that loving feeling…🎶 with Summit. We have sailed on lots of ships over the years, including the Millennium in 2022. Summit does not compare favorably. Unfortunately, the food in the MDR was subpar as well. While we love our Vitamin Sea, Summit is the first Celebrity ship where we have said, “One and done.” YMMV.

Thanks so much for taking the time to report live. Love your pics and you have given us some great ideas already! We will be doing the reverse cruise in the fall and look forward to your commentary 😃👍😃. Bon Voyage 🛳️.

Wow, that looks fabulous. Have been to the Colosseum, but not underground. Sadly, all the VIP tours are showing unavailable. How far in advance did you book?

Just catching up on this thread as we have a fall TA booked. This will have ramifications for Club Orange 🍊 upgrades. We selected a V category cabin with a big balcony as our in class upgrade. A very large percentage of the Pinnacle class verandah cabins with large balconies (V and VB) are triples and quads. If all those cabins are blocked to 2 people when sailings open for booking, it decreases the cost benefit and appeal of Club Orange 🍊. Hoping we are safe on a TA. But, I’d be an unhappy camper if we are bumped from our cabin!

We had the tiny chocolate squares and the butter/rapeseed spread in the OV on Edge as well 😕. The spread melts very quickly if the plate is warm.

I know you will enjoy both Sydney and Auckland ❤️❤️. We wish we would have had more time to explore the interior areas in NZ. It is a beautiful country!

Hi @Jim_Iain! We beat you to Honolulu 🤣😎🤣. It looked a lot like Sydney on the day we met you ☔️🌧️☔️. So glad you enjoyed the pics. You and Iain warmed Edge up for us. It sounds like you are enjoying a little more variety on Solstice👍. A little change up is welcome. We are enjoying following along on your journey as we have so many times. Your pictures are amazing. This is the best Vacheron I remember. It may have been mixed berry, but there is some green??? Millennium 2022. We wish you safe journeys, calm seas, and sunny skies ☀️!

@Boatharbour, thanks so much! The feel of the NZ trip 🥝🥝 had a better vibe than our S Australian cruise IMHO. It may be due to the amazing weather we experienced in NZ versus the rough, tumble, and rain 🌊🌊 off the coast in S Australia! Versus…. This is my first return from extended vacation after retirement, so I am on holiday 🥳😎🥳! We will be land based all summer. Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, NL, UK, France, Belgium, Bermuda, and Bahamas on our cruise itineraries in the fall! 🛳️🛳️